Michelle Wie Saga/Golf tips

[flyer85]

the kind of thing you can have happen when you never had learned how to win, had a great round and lost focus. She signed her scorecard but it was AFTER she left the scoring area ... leaving the scoring area without signing is an automatic DQ. The fact she signed it after someone brought it to her after she left the area just shows how confused(and likely immature) she is. She had to know she was done.

Would she have admitted the error if someone hadn't informed the LPGA?

It is troubling that she did not immediately turn herself in at the time of the incident.

[Highlifeman21]

Good job Michelle.

I'm so proud of you.

[flyer85]

Good job Michelle.

I'm so proud of you.

she's 18 and has a lot of growing up yet to do(rationalizing something like not following the rules iin signing for your score is an example of a lack of maturity).

Her parents have done he no favors in the way they have handled her. She just needs some more time as she has had a ton thrust upon her at a young age

[Kingspoint]

Michelle Wie.......Ha! Ha!

[MaineRed]

Good job Michelle.

I'm so proud of you.

Playing on the LPGA tour > Living on Redszone

[Highlifeman21]

Playing on the LPGA tour > Living on Redszone

So far she's a monumental waste of talent. Maybe once she actually starts playing on the LPGA Tour, you might have a leg on which to stand, but right now, she's an immature little girl going to Stanford while trying to play some pro golf here and there, b/c she was too stupid to play college golf, got greedy and took Nike's money.

Good for her.

Again, I'm so proud.

[Hoosier Red]

She got greedy?

You're actually telling me you would have turned down $50 million?
And you would have done this to play college golf?

Sure.

Endorsements aside, she has earned her super phenom position considering when she was 16 she made enough money to qualify for the LPGA tour despite playing in only 8 tournaments.

Consider that year, she finished no worse than 5th in the first three tournaments. So keeping in mind that she's already accomplished more in her 18 years than I have in my life, it's hard for me to call her greedy to take the money.

That said, her 2007 was a disaster. There's no getting around it.
Her 2008 hasn't been wonderful(2 missed cuts and a DQ) but she certainly hasn't played poorly for any long periods of time.

I said before that she'd be a top 5 player for inside of 5 years. I now think that timeline moves up. Whatever year she moves full time to the tour again, she'll be a top 5 player.

Maybe then she'll have lived up to your high standards.

[Highlifeman21]

She got greedy?

You're actually telling me you would have turned down $50 million?
And you would have done this to play college golf?

Sure.

Endorsements aside, she has earned her super phenom position considering when she was 16 she made enough money to qualify for the LPGA tour despite playing in only 8 tournaments.

Consider that year, she finished no worse than 5th in the first three tournaments. So keeping in mind that she's already accomplished more in her 18 years than I have in my life, it's hard for me to call her greedy to take the money.

That said, her 2007 was a disaster. There's no getting around it.
Her 2008 hasn't been wonderful(2 missed cuts and a DQ) but she certainly hasn't played poorly for any long periods of time.

I said before that she'd be a top 5 player for inside of 5 years. I now think that timeline moves up. Whatever year she moves full time to the tour again, she'll be a top 5 player.

Maybe then she'll have lived up to your high standards.

I probably would have taken the money as well, but she won NOTHING as an amateur, and was a PR showpiece for the LPGA and PGA Tour before she graduated HS. I hate to say it, but she was a ***** for Nike, and the 2 Tours. They basically just pimped her to make revenues in various capacities.

Her game is still raw, and she could have greatly benefitted from some college golf, but she chose the coin instead. Can I blame her? Of course not. What kid still in HS would turn down that kinda money? But, I would hope that she would have another humility and sensibility to realize that if she wants some staying power on the LPGA Tour, she needs a place to refine her game. College would have been a great avenue for just that...

It's not that I have high standards for her, but rather I see a gifted young athlete that could redefine the LPGA Tour. You're absolutely correct that within 5 years she could be a Top 5 talent, but I firmly believe that if she allowed herself a couple years of college golf, she could have hit the ground running on the LPGA Tour, rather than showing massive inconsistencies in her game. She easily could have taken a page out of Tiger's playbook and just played a few years of college golf. But instead she took the money. And like I said, I can't blame her.

That being said, I'd love for her to emerge as a Tiger-like talent for the LPGA Tour, and completely change the game there. I'd love for her to replace Ochoa and Sorenstam and be dominant for decades. Again, if my standards are high for her, that's b/c of the talent she possesses. I believe she can be the best ever in the history of the LPGA. She just has to mature first. Will that happen? Only time will tell.

I just don't want her becoming the Anna Kournakova of the LPGA Tour, that's all.

[Hoosier Red]

I just don't want her becoming the Anna Kournakova of the LPGA Tour, that's all.

THat's fair.

I'm just curious though, forgetting to sign your scorecard doesn't scream out as an "immature" thing to do. If any other player does it, it's a footnote, analagous to carrying 14 clubs in her bag.

[flyer85]

THat's fair.

I'm just curious though, forgetting to sign your scorecard doesn't scream out as an "immature" thing to do. If any other player does it, it's a footnote, analagous to carrying 14 clubs in her bag.

it's the fact that she signed the scorecard after the fact and let the volunteers take it back and turn it in. When she was notified she forgot to sign she should have immediately went to tourney officials with the unsigned score card and explain what had happend. She knew it was wrong I assume she rationalized as not a big deal since the score was correct, however, golf is a game of honor and rules and she ignored them and then did not report her violation. The officials only found out after someone"turned her in".

[Redhook]

she won NOTHING as an amateur.

She actually won the US Amateur Publinx. And I think she was very young when she did so, somewhere 13-15. The same tournament on the men's side would get someone in the Master's.

[Redhook]

I probably would have taken the money as well, but she won NOTHING as an amateur, and was a PR showpiece for the LPGA and PGA Tour before she graduated HS. I hate to say it, but she was a ***** for Nike, and the 2 Tours. They basically just pimped her to make revenues in various capacities.

Her game is still raw, and she could have greatly benefitted from some college golf, but she chose the coin instead. Can I blame her? Of course not. What kid still in HS would turn down that kinda money? But, I would hope that she would have another humility and sensibility to realize that if she wants some staying power on the LPGA Tour, she needs a place to refine her game. College would have been a great avenue for just that...

It's not that I have high standards for her, but rather I see a gifted young athlete that could redefine the LPGA Tour. You're absolutely correct that within 5 years she could be a Top 5 talent, but I firmly believe that if she allowed herself a couple years of college golf, she could have hit the ground running on the LPGA Tour, rather than showing massive inconsistencies in her game. She easily could have taken a page out of Tiger's playbook and just played a few years of college golf. But instead she took the money. And like I said, I can't blame her.

That being said, I'd love for her to emerge as a Tiger-like talent for the LPGA Tour, and completely change the game there. I'd love for her to replace Ochoa and Sorenstam and be dominant for decades. Again, if my standards are high for her, that's b/c of the talent she possesses. I believe she can be the best ever in the history of the LPGA. She just has to mature first. Will that happen? Only time will tell.

I just don't want her becoming the Anna Kournakova of the LPGA Tour, that's all.

I hear what you're saying. But I disagree that college golf would've helped her. She is too good for it. The problem with her started with her idiotic parents and posse getting her to play in tournaments she shouldn't have been playing in. Her parents haven't let her make a decision in 18 years. I don't blame Michelle, I blame BJ and her mom.

While brief, Wie has already been ranked in the Top 5 and I actually think she earned it.

I do agree that she should be the best ever. She's ridiculously long for a female. Who knows what's going to happen? It would've been nice if she would've won this week to see how it change her career.

[Highlifeman21]

THat's fair.

I'm just curious though, forgetting to sign your scorecard doesn't scream out as an "immature" thing to do. If any other player does it, it's a footnote, analagous to carrying 14 clubs in her bag.

If Michelle Wie had played in more tournaments on any level leading up to the LPGA Tour, she'd be more familiar with the protocol at the end of a round. Immaturity, inexperience, call it what you will, but she just doesn't have enough tourneys under her belt.

I'm not sure I would lump her not signing the card in the tent into the "immaturity" category, as much as I would lump it into "lack of focus". She really comes across as a little girl (which she is) who would rather be at the mall than playing golf (which might not be far from the truth). It's very possible she doesn't know how good she is and is on cruise control with her game.

The biggest reason I wish she had gone to college to play college golf was that she learned tourney rules and protocols. College golf is a great training/proving ground to transition to a pro career in terms of rules, regulations and things of the like. She'll only learn that stuff through repetition, and playing largely on sparse sponsors exemptions she won't get the reps she needs.

[Highlifeman21]

She actually won the US Amateur Publinx. And I think she was very young when she did so, somewhere 13-15. The same tournament on the men's side would get someone in the Master's.

Did she? I thought she lost in the Semis at Shaker Run.

I still don't think she played enough Junior golf.

[MWM]

Did she? I thought she lost in the Semis at Shaker Run.

I still don't think she played enough Junior golf.

She won the female one when she was something like 13.